The family of a man shot and killed by Phoenix police in October of 2025 has filed a federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit against the city and multiple officers.
The lawsuit alleges that Victor Altamirano’s family called police for help after he expressed suicidal thoughts.
When officers arrived, the complaint claims, Altamirano ran into the street and asked officers to shoot him. The complaint alleges that "rather than attempting meaningful de-escalation, officers allegedly opened fire almost immediately."
The family claims that although Altamirano was holding a knife, he never posed an immediate threat to officers or others and was shot while fleeing.
“Families should not have to fear that calling 911 during a mental health emergency will end with their loved one being killed,” said attorney Richard Lyons of Kelly & Lyons. “This case is about accountability and the constitutional limits on the use of deadly force.”
Read the full lawsuit here
ABC15 previously spoke with Altamirano's family, who say that on the morning of October 2, their dad was feeling suicidal.
“He said, ‘Call for help, because I'm not okay, I'm not feeling it, I don't want to be here no more,” she recalled, asking her father what to do since she didn’t want to leave her daughter there at that point.
As police spoke with the family, body camera footage showed Altamirano running out; police said he had a knife.
“There was never any contact by officers with that individual in the house to begin any sort of negotiation or those sorts of contacts,” Sgt. Robert Scherer, with Phoenix Police, said in a news briefing on October 2.
Body cam footage shows Altamirano told officers he wanted to die and to kill him. At one point, police say Altamirano “charged” at them with the knife above his head. Officers repeatedly told Altamirano to drop the knife and get on the ground.
After multiple attempts of trying to get Altamirano to stop moving, officers then fired less-lethal rounds. In the body camera footage, Altamirano is seen trying to walk away when officers continued to fire shots from less-lethal rounds as well as their handguns.
"They didn't even ask if you are okay, this is not the way to do it. They didn't try at all. They just opened fire,” Elizabeth German said, Altamirano’s oldest daughter.
The lawsuit alleges violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as other state laws for wrongful death and battery.
The family is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and alleges the city failed to properly train and supervise the officers involved.
